Mass Effect: Valkyrie's Song
by SingularMonk
Summary: Of how a naive new race changes the whole galaxy and one human's role in these events.
1. Born among the Stars

**Valkyrie's Song Chapter 1**

**BORN AMONG THE STARS**

**Valkyrie's Song is a **_**Mass Effect**_** Fanfiction by Stephan "Eisen" Wortmann. **_**Mass Effect**_** belongs to **_**Bioware**_**.**

The _SSV Einstein_ silently drifted through the void. The humming of the element zero core and the roar of the massive engines was all lost in the vacuum of space. The only souls that were actually aware of how loud the vessel was were the ones working in engineering. Throughout the rest of the ship the only sounds to be heard were those that the crew made, the humming of the air filtration and various other appliances.

Lieutenant Hannah Shepard stood stoically at her post in the Command Information Centre, she and her fellow soldiers seemed to be one with the ship, only moving to salute senior officers as they passed or when their shift changed. Behind the stony mask though, she was bored to tears. Such was the unfortunate fate of marines on a travelling marine vessel.

"_Transmission to the Charon relay initiated," _a slightly accented female voice called over the ship's intercom.

The usual slow pace of work in the flight deck changed. Suddenly technicians fidgeted away at the amber haptic displays before them with an urgency that seemed out of place. Status checks and confirmations were called from booth to booth as the flight crew prepared for the oncoming jump.

It was all old news to Hannah though; she had been born in a space station, experienced humanity's first forays through the Relays and missed involvement in the First Contact War, only because even when threatened with an intergalactic war – especially then – Earth still needed to be protected. She had lived through the growing of humanity's galactic influence – lived in it still – and was now a part of the human-batarian conflict.

"_All stations, prepare for transit,"_ the disembodied voice informed the crew.

The crew aboard the_ Einstein_ did not even notice as the massive ancient construct reached out a tendril of chaotic energy towards the vessel, enveloping it in a blue-white nova and accelerating it to almost incalculable speeds.

To an observer it would have looked as if the tuning-fork shaped relay had simply emitted a random spark of energy. But several million light years away, another Relay flared and the _Einstein_ dropped back to comprehendible speeds, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. The vessel aligned itself towards its destination, and smoothly slid off as if it had not just done the physically impossible, getting swallowed by the vacuum once more.

"_Drift at one-fourty-five-hundred kay."_

Hannah breathed a sigh of relief as her replacement arrived. "Thanks, Zabaleta. Any longer and they'd need to lobotomize someone to have their mind more benumbed than guard-duty makes mine."

"Well you know the Alliance, Sir; always ready and willing to make mental patients of us, one way or another," the man grimly joked.

Hannah merely nodded and hurried to the crew deck, legs protesting at the sudden activity after growing stiff from lack of movement. She had two things that needed urgent attention: first the bathroom, and then the galley.

~o~

The Lieutenant was busy eying her meal-ready-to-eat with suspicion, not quite trusting it to deliver the flavour that the label on the packaging had listed. Almost one and a half centuries since their inception and they still tasted like cardboard and air with a hint of plastic. Grimacing she bit into what she hoped contained at least some traces of real beef.

While Hannah was vainly trying to chew through what had to have been the most rubbery steak she had ever tried to eat, a man approached her table and sat down in front of her. He had a firm jaw, closely cropped hair and piercing blue eyes. Unlike Hannah in her hardsuit, he was wearing the same battle-dress-uniform that all the other members of the crew were wearing apart from the commissioned officers. What set his uniform apart though were the reflective stripes that ran down the pant-legs and around the sleeves of his shirt, designating him as part of the engineering crew.

The man also tore open a meal-ready-to-eat he had been carrying and looked at what he had received. "Someday…" he sighed, "I'll get all the parts of an MRE together, that are required for a fantastic meal."

Hannah grinned, still chewing. "Keep talkin' about them like they're lucky packets and I'll start offering them to Eris."

"Ever ladylike, speaking with your mouth full and things." The man responded, looking bemused.

Hah!" Hannah almost choked on the processed nutrients she was trying to chew through, "keep talking like _that_, and I'll kick that greasy arse right back to the drive core."

"Alright, alright, I surrender," the man said in a resigned tone, putting his hands in the air to emphasise his words. "Though mind you, they haven't used grease on starships since… the last century?"

He just laughed as a slightly warm and very rubbery potato bounced off his head. "I always wondered what they meant with 'or for worse', well, no longer!" Hannah exclaimed.

"Of course, the centre of the commotion is always the Shepards," a baritone voice chuckled. Hannah turned to look at who was approaching and grinned broadly. A dark skinned man in officer's uniform approached, and walking around the table, slid onto the bench next to the other man.

"David!" Hannah and the man who had already been sitting greeted in unison.

"You know you two have no right being so happy, considering the mission."

"Bah, the universe has enough grumpy to deal with in you." Hannah said, waving one hand dismissively, while the other was sticking another piece of the game meat into her mouth using a plastic fork that had lost a few teeth trying to pick up its prey.

"I see your special brand of pragmatism hasn't changed in the, oh, what was it now, twenty eight hours?"

"Ophcorephenoph."

"And there she goes again; trying to sow giblets of MRE. You think any of them will land on fertile soil and grow, David?"

"John for all I know, that is how they actually make MREs to begin with… would explain the taste."

"True enough," the man now identified as John conceded. Hannah merely nodded sagely, or at least it would have been, had her cheeks not been bulging with another portion.

The trio shifted to other topics, talking for a short while longer until David stood up, excusing himself. The two Shepards remained for a while, no longer talking, but quietly sitting together, thinking.

"You know, I don't want this life for her." Hannah said quietly.

"Me neither, but the way things are looking, I don't think there is anything we can do but let her decide." John responded in the same tone.

"Every time I go out there, I worry for her, for you. Will she have a mom by the end of that day, will you have a wife?"

John reached out and took Hannah's hands in his own, moving the tray and leftover MRE packaging aside. "I feel the same way, and that's why you _have_ to come back."

~o~

_Since writing my other ME FF I have played through all the games, numerous times and I just feel that at heart, FemShep is the more genuine character. Bioware did right by me when they dialled up her side of the marketing for 3 – not just throwing a bone to femProtagonists – now we have one of the best ones there is! (Also I have plans for a x-over with some of my characters at some point and I want their histories to be well-established and stuff… to make it seem as plausible as possible when/if it happens. Super long-term plans and delayed gratification ftw.)_

_AN2: Please note that this is written in a mood that reflects how I approach life, not some angst soaked shit that makes everyone think I'm the most depressed/deprived person in the universe. - bad things will happen, but life moves on and my characters aren't super emotional so while they might feel things, they won't always show it - if ever, plus fabricating a reason to be sad all the time just to make things interesting is meh._


	2. The more things Change

**Valkyrie's Song Chapter 2**

**THE MORE THINGS CHANGE**

**Valkyrie's Song is a **_**Mass Effect**_** Fanfiction by Stephan "Eisen" Wortmann. **_**Mass Effect**_** belongs to **_**Bioware**_**.**

A rare kind of focus controlled the hand as it carefully guided the piece into place, gently pressing it into its designated slot. The hand held steady as the cement that had been applied shortly before melting the two pieces together under the gentle pressure. Letting go of the piece that had just been added, the hand moved away and around, coming back to grasp the whole construction.

It was a turian cruiser, the avian creatures' sharp geometric design apparent. Normally, turian crafts were painted a matte white, highlighted by dull orange streaks, but this one was a dull grey on every exposed surface. The hand gently lifted the craft up, until the space-vessel was in line with a pair of sage green eyes that came close to the craft, scrutinizing it heavily. Then with the utmost care the ship was lowered again, onto a large transparent barrier.

Eris Shepard sat at the workstation that had been set up in the quarters shared by her and her parents. Like many spacers, she was an only child – parents could not afford to have hundreds of children running around with the tight living quarters aboard most vessels. The young teenage girl wondered sometimes what it would have been like to grow up on one of the colonies, or mega-cities; where she could have had many friends, if not perhaps even have had siblings of her own.

But no, that was not her lot. Instead she was the only child her parents ever had, and probably would ever have. But that was not all; she was also alone when it came to the whole vessel, a single child among all the adults. So she learned and grew up, far beyond her years for her age. Only during rare moments such as these, did a glimmer of what she would have been shine through.

The look of utter concentration on her face softening until it grew into a satisfied grin, as she inspected her handiwork. The model cruiser had been seamlessly put together, no excess cement, mould-lines or shavings marring it. Eris pushed out the chair she had been sitting on and standing up, grabbed an aerosol paint-gun from one of the shelves and carefully applied the first layer of paint, a black undercoat. Once the plastic space craft was completely coated with midnight sheen, she returned the spray-gun back to its place, and as if to purposefully contrast the focus and care from moments ago, burst into a full-out sprint, the automatic doors of the cabin barely opening before she slipped through them sideways.

~o~

Hannah and John had just taken their trays and deposited them in the cleaning chute when something red streaked around a corner and collided with the latter, causing him to stumble back a few steps.

"Oof!" The middle-aged engineer exclaimed as the air was driven from his lungs. A shock of deep red hair was pressed against the bottom of his jaw and a young set of arms wrapped tightly around him, trapping his arms against his body.

Just as quickly as she had wrapped herself around him, the girl detached herself again and hopped backwards a few steps, brimming with excitement. "Mission accomplished, sir! The cruiser you got me is all done but for the paintjob!"

Having recovered from the winding, John only chuckled, ruffling his daughter's hair. "That's great Eri. When the base is dried we can argue together about which colours go together the best."

Eris tried to duck away from his hand as fast as possible, using her fingers to try comb out any knots and straightening it after the good-natured gesture had messed it up. "Daaad! Not the hair!"

"Only if you stop running into me like a cannonball all the time. Why don't you shower your mother in enthusiasm sometimes?"

"Mom's always wearing that stupid armour! It hurts!"

At this both parents chuckled. Then Hannah put her hands on her daughter's shoulders, steering her to look her in the face solemnly, "Dear, we'll be arriving at Mindior soon. Please get ready."

Eris merely nodded in response; she knew what was to come. Apart from the brief maternity leave her mother had taken, the girl had spent all her life aboard military space-faring vessels alongside her parents. By now the protocols non-combatants used during missions were second nature to her.

"But first you look in awe upon my masterpiece!"

The three Shepards left to have a look at the product of the enthusiastic girl's labours, striking an odd picture aboard the spartan systems alliance vessel.

~o~

It had been about fifteen minutes since they had admired Eris' work when the ship-wide intercom cracked to life again.

"_Twenty minutes to insertion, all hands prepare for battle-stations."_

John pecked his wife on the cheek and hurried towards engineering. Hannah put her hand to where his lips had brushed her – and his slight stubble scratched – with a distant look on her face. It only lasted a moment though; soon she was checking and double-checking the condition of her hardsuit and other equipment, running a diagnostic scan on her omnitool's operating system, clamping grenades to the specially designed slots on the hardsuit and re-assembling her rifle after having just finished cleaning it.

Finally she 'holstered' the compact standard-issue pistol to the magnetized area at her hip and slipped the folded-up assault-rifle into its designated mag-lock on the back of her armour. Turning around she saw her daughter solemnly watching her preparations. Hannah put her hands on Eris' shoulders as before, brushing a strand of striking red hair out of the girl's eyes. "Alright dear, you know what to do. Just look after your dad for me for a short bit and I'll be right back before you know it."

"You'd better…" the girl mumbled.

With that Hannah lifted her helmet from its place on the table and briskly walked out of the room, blinking furiously to keep the tears at bay. This was always the hardest part - making promises she knew she had no right to make.

~o~

"Alright lads, how's my third favourite girl in the galaxy doing?!" Chief Engineer Shepard shouted as the elevator opened and he rocketed from the opening doors at a high-paced gait.

"Just as well as the others, sir!" A woman whose hands were a blur over the console she was working at responded.

"And almost as pretty," a male voice sounded from underneath the walkway.

"Watch it Collins! Both of them could hand you your arse in more ways than I ever could!" Shepard shouted in response and then the levity ended. All kinds of system checks were being shouted across the room, a myriad of temperatures, fuel levels, coolant status, a whole range of details pertaining to the core and more percentages than any un-educated mind would be able to decipher.

The chief engineer took his post that overlooked the majority of the systems, screens all around him with glaring displays pertaining to almost all the systems aboard the _Einstein_. Crew scuttled about either bearing replacement parts, replaced parts, data pads with rows of information, or just running to some other post that needed manning. Compared to a short while ago, the ship was now as a creature out of hibernation.

~o~

Lieutenant Shepard's entry into the cargo bay was akin to that of a shark into water; a silent hunter, smoothly moving with a determined purpose. Soldiers looked up from their equipment and reflexively straightened that tiny bit more. She, however, didn't seem to notice the slight ripple effect her arrival caused. She moved right past most of the men assembled and walked up to a pair that were busy conversing in hushed tones. Noticing her, they turned from their discussion and saluted; a greeting she returned.

"Shepard." They greeted in succession. The first was of an average - if fit - build, had a pale complexion with dark hair and an angular face, seemingly of European decent. The other had slightly darker skin, was powerfully built and also with black hair, he –unlike the other - had striking tribal tattoos painted on his face revealing his Māori heritage.

"Parata, Udresku," Hannah returned the greeting, nodding at each in turn, "You guys had a look at what we're heading into?"

"Yeah, not lookin' too good," Parata said in a strong South-Oceania accent, "This is the most organised and well executed raid to date. It won't be easy."

"Well, we best get ready then." Turning from her two fellows she addressed the rest of the soldiers in the room, "Alright boys, tie your shoelaces and pull up your socks! We're going to school!"

_AN: Whoa that was the biggest response I've gotten for any of my works to date! Thanks for all the follows and favourites. Please let me know what you think with a review or two too._

_AN - Edit: Changed a few things to clear up confusion about Eris' age. (I picked up something from the game after posting this chapter, but before the most recent ones)_


	3. Planetfall

**Valkyrie's Song Chapter 3**

**PLANETFALL**

**Valkyrie's Song is a **_**Mass Effect**_** Fanfiction by Stephan "Eisen" Wortmann. **_**Mass Effect**_** belongs to **_**Bioware**_**.**

Hannah gripped the hand-rail attached to the low roof tightly as the doors of the Kodiak Shuttle dropped down, shutting out all light in the confined space. It was pitch black for a moment and then the haptic controls that operated the communication holo and doors flickered to life, bathing the vehicle's passengers in a soft, amber glow.

There was a dulled metallic 'clunk' as the docking clamps released the transport and a small lurch as the eezo engines kicked in. As soon as the vehicle's weight was negated and its own gravitational field enhanced, the crew inside ceased to experience any inertial pull. They stood in silence as the pilots directed the craft towards the nearby planet, kinetic barriers whining as they absorbed the heat of atmospheric entry.

As soon as the barriers ceased making a noise, Lieutenant Shepard looked around, as if doing a final roll-call, nodding to herself in satisfaction she spoke up to address those assembled, "Alright men, listen up!"

Outside the Kodiak, distant explosions and anti-air gunfire could now be heard as it neared its destination.

"This planet is under hostile control; we have confirmed reports of batarian slavers in control of the main colony. All outlying settlements have gone dark, so we're assuming the inhabitants of those have either gone into hiding or were killed in the initial attack. We believe that the majority of the civilian population have already been herded onto the enemy landing craft, so after the anti-air support is taken out, those are our top priority!"

The Kodiak rocked slightly as it got in range of the anti-air guns and mass-accelerated shells started exploding around it - the shrapnel was easily deflected by the craft's powerful barriers and hull plating, but there was no way to stop the shock-waves.

"_We're gonna get down and low, Lieutenant. Come up on the insertion point from the east; the terrain should keep us clear of AA fire,"_ the Kodiak's pilot said over the intercom that linked the passenger bay with the cockpit.

"Roger that, Zondi," Shepard replied. She withdrew her rifle from its storage on her back, idly watching as it smoothly extended into its full form. Once it was fully unfolded, she slung the strap over her head. She didn't know why they were no longer standard-issue, but the simple piece of fabric had saved her from losing her weapon on several dozen occasions, not to mention that it allowed her to have her hands free while still having the weapon close at hand.

Satisfied with her last-minute preparations, Hannah punched the haptic display on the wall-panel beside her. With a pneumatic hiss, the doors of the Kodiak depressurised and opened up, sliding backwards along the vehicle until they were fully opened. Outside the landscape was a blur as an alien treeline and hillside rushed past, with the occasional lone animal looking up in surprise at the speeding shuttle

"Remember boys, check your targets! This is a human colony and I'll be damned if we have any more human casualties!" She had to shout so that the words were audible over the rushing air. Two or three of the marines nodded, affirming that they had heard what she said.

Then the Kodiak veered up sharply as a large construction loomed up out of the foliage. The Kodiak's reverse thrusters kicked in and it slowed down. By the time it reached the top of the structure it was able to alight near the edge as gently as a butterfly on a flower. The marines poured out of the open doors. Shepard signalled that two move ahead and take lookout, while two more took up covering positions.

"_Hawk-One, package delivered, returning to safe distance."_ The Kodiak, its payload delivered, dropped from the edge again, disappearing to wait until it was needed again, either for air support or to extract.

"Form up, squad!" the Lieutenant barked and the four remaining marines assembled by her, near some large crates. She brushed a stray strand of auburn hair out of her face and addressed those assembled, "Delta-squad, our job is to clear a way to the hostile transports. Bravo will take care of the AA and Charlie will try to reclaim some of the city and its communications network - see if there is any additional intel to salvage."

She looked over to where the capital of the colony was located behind them, thick black clouds of smoke billowing into the sky. "It's up to us to make sure these bastards think twice before attacking one of ours again!"

Hannah straightened up and slipped her helmet over her head, her face now hidden behind the armoured faceguard and tinted visor. She moved around the container, rifle in hand and scanning everything that came into sight, analysing it for threats. The four that had gathered with her also did any last-second preparations and followed after her.

"Stepesh, Marshall, I want you to scout on ahead. Stay out of sight and look out for any traps or ambushes. We know they know we're coming. Hopefully they just don't know from where."

Marshall, a lithe man who had painted his armour in the old-earth style fatigues and Stepesh, a short woman wearing a dull grey hardsuit nodded, both disappeared into the urban jungle that Delta was gradually entering, the only indicators of where they were being the markers floating above them on friendly heads-up-displays.

"Meyer, Houghes, Ndlovu, you're on point – watch for snipers." The three marines nodded and moved up to the front of the group, each covering a direction the other was not.

"Lee, rear-guard. Austin, you're with me." Lee, whose hardsuit was an aircraft-grey flipped off a casual salute and moved to the back of the group. Austin was a monster of a man with his armour painted a dark crimson; Hannah sometimes thought that he would not be out of place if he were found among a group of pirates.

"_Overlord, this is Delta-One. Boots on the ground and heading to the objective,"_ Shepard transmitted over the comm system to Command aboard the _Einstein_.

"_Roger that Delta-One; Charlie and Bravo have also touched down and are en route to targets. It seems a bit too quiet down there, One - keep your eyes open for surprises."_

"_Will do, Overlord. Delta out."_

Shepard switched to the squad comm-channel, "You heard 'em lads. Seems someone is hosting a party and we're invited. Let's not disappoint."

There was a chorus of 'Aye ayes' and other acknowledgements as the squad delved ever deeper into the seemingly deserted city.

~o~

Aboard the _Einstein,_ the engineering deck had once again subsided from the flurry of activity before. Now there was only the occasional reading called out to ensure that the ship was still running optimally. The Chief Engineer took all of this in, satisfied that the vessel was as prepared as it could be and then he thought of the troops below on the planet's surface, and worried.

~o~

Eris glared at the steel-plate wall panel of the room; she hated it, the waiting. It had happened to enough people aboard that she knew the ones that went with the ground teams did not always return. Her eyes wandered from the wall to the lockers where she and her parents stored their things. Every time she wondered if it would be her mother that would not be coming back. The _Einstein_ was at battle-stations, all minors had to remain in their rooms and that was one of the things she hated about it all. That her parents were out there, fighting, and all she could do was sit here and build stupid plastic toys.

Then her eyes wandered to the footlocker at her parent's bed and an idea began to form in her mind.


	4. Unforeseen Circumstances

**Valkyrie's Song Chapter 4**

**UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES**

**Valkyrie's Song is a **_**Mass Effect**_** Fanfiction by Stephan "Eisen" Wortmann. **_**Mass Effect**_** belongs to **_**Bioware**_**.**

Eris looked at herself in the mirror; she had donned her mother's old hardsuit. The one she had been given upon finishing basic training. Like most standard-issue Alliance armour it was painted dull greys and black, with navy-blue highlights. There were several chips, dents and scorch marks on the ablative plating, reminders of the times that this suit had saved Hannah's life. The kinetic barrier module had long since burnt out - lack of use and maintenance over the years taking its toll on the older tech.

Eris used a band to pull her hair back and slipped on the helmet; as soon as the edges of the seals met they hissed as they magnetised and fastened, effectively pressurising the suit. The suit's dated firmware booted up, suit checks and other data filtering across the HUD as it ran a self-diagnostic. Eris' eyes couldn't follow the quickly streaming text, and trying to just gave her a headache. So she closed her eyes until the flashing before her eyelids stopped. Newer suits didn't bother showing that data onscreen; they would only popup and highlight if there were faults or errors.

The younger Shepard had just recently started high-school and so she was quickly approaching the height of her mother. Soon they would be able to swap clothes whenever it suited them. The hardsuit was still a bit loose around the chest and the boot greaves ground against the hip plating where the armour compensated for her slight lack of stature, but otherwise it seemed to fit almost perfectly.

She stretched and flexed, trying to see the armour's limitations. The girl had lived among the military all her life and so led a very healthy lifestyle, with fitness training every day in addition to martial arts lessons with one of her mother's old friends. She was surprised to find that apart from the extra friction at the knees that the armour not exactly fitting her yet caused, it seemed that there was no loss of mobility. _Science, Bitch_, she grinned to herself, satisfied.

Finally she looked over to the worktable, where the model Turian Cruiser still stood. She hated waiting as she had to now; but her dad had promised her that they would paint it together. Not that she couldn't do so on her own at this point – she had been building models since kindergarden – but it was always special to hang out with him, either of her parents, when they could spare the time.

Running an armoured finger over the fine work she had done on the model, Eris sighed. Relenting, she moved to the haptic terminal that was situated in a corner of the room; perhaps against all hope, the extranet would have less trolls today and maybe she would even be able to find something fun to read or watch.

~o~

The comm-link squelched to life and Parata's accented voice came over, _"This is Charlie-One. We have entered the communications complex. No sign of live civvies so far, dealt with a few tangos that were isolated from the group. Some of the stuff they've done to these people is monstrous – you might wanna prepare yourself."_

Udresku's voice was next, _"Roger that Charlie, Bravo's having minimal success. The terrain here's a bitch."_

Hannah looked around her at the carnage; she was having difficulty keeping her last meal down. There was a row of dead civilians that had been lined up against a wall and shot, apart from them there was a pile of bodies, some seemingly also having been executed and simply left to rot, others had twisted expressions of pain frozen onto their features and what seemed to be some form of control device embedded into their skulls.

The Lieutenant took some consolation from the fact that some of those who had caused this had now joined their victims.

"_Delta-One her;, we've found some of that stuff you mentioned, Charlie. The sooner these fuckers die, the better."_

There was a brief radio-silence and then Parata's voice came over the comm again, _"The hell? Overlord we have a problem."_

"_Report Charlie, what do you see?"_

"_We've cleared out the comm-building; all of the consoles were trashed. We went to check if anything could be salvaged from the antennae but… damn."_

Seeing what she had, Hannah's mind had already made the jump to what Parata had found. _"Charlie?"_

"_They've rigged up the aerials as some sort of mass-cross; we've got a lot of bodies hanging here. Seems like the whole comm-crew. They're all dead now, but there's also a high voltage line hooked up to this thing."_

"_Shit, trust batarians to make the worst forms of torture worse."_ Udresku commented.

"_Anyway, Command, there's nothing we can do here. The electricity's fried anything that might still have been useful."_

"_Roger that Charlie. Get your men and take up Delta's objective. See if you can flank them."_ There was a short pause as if Overlord was taking a deep breath, _"Let's clean up our streets."_

Each team squelched their affirmative, Shepard nodded absently, as if the ones she were speaking to could see her. Then she turned to her men. "Boys, it's time for payback."

"Yessir!" the team responded as one. They all took their given positions and the squad stepped deeper into what had once been a sparkling metropolis, but was now a heart of darkness.

~o~

_AN: Soz if you think it's a bit short, I just feel when I reach a certain point that this is, you know 'a section' and since I don't like writing super-long I'll make do with super-short :P Please note that since this is prior to the games and that I often forget small details, don't do my research and don't plan any of my writing, I generally end up making it up as I go along. So if you find inconsistencies, point them out! Thanks for all the Follows/Favourite. Feedback, no matter how small, does wonders for the morale - it actually gets me to write as I'm not doing it for myself only ;)._

_Gratitude to my lovely sister and beta, CrypticWraith / Frostyshimmer. If you like the Warrior series (or cats in general), maybe have a look at her work!_


	5. A Hard Place

**Valkyrie's Song Chapter 5**

**A HARD PLACE**

**Valkyrie's Song is a **_**Mass Effect**_** Fanfiction by Stephan "Eisen" Wortmann. **_**Mass Effect**_** belongs to **_**Bioware**_**.**

Hannah ducked down behind the ruined wall just in time to avoid the barrage of bullets that chewed into the meagre cover and whizzed over her head. She waited a moment and popped back up, spraying fire blindly in the direction from which she had been attacked. There was the crack of a sniper rifle and the Lieutenant heard Stepesh crow in victory over the comm as a body toppled over from behind a wall. "I got you covered sir!"

"Thanks Step. Squad, wrap up this wave and prepare for the next; pool ammo and check your gear."

The chatter of gunfire continued for several more seconds and then a deathly silence descended upon the square where the soldiers had bunkered down. A brief pause later Marshal broke the oppressive silence: "Clear!"

Delta Squad was the only one that remained out of the three that had landed. Remnants of Charlie and Bravo had joined them, but Charlie had only had one survivor and Bravo two. Delta had lost only Meyer, who had been unfortunate enough to step into the detection radius of a mine; Houghes had also been injured by the blast, but had easily been treated with medi-gel.

"What a clusterfuck," Hanna muttered under her breath as she waited for all but the lookouts to assemble.

Each looked worse for wear. It had been a day since their landing and what had originally been intended to be a shock-strike had turned into a battle of attrition – and the marines were losing. Theirs might have been the superior training and general tactical thinking. But the batarians were savage, had the strength of numbers and could be extremely cunning in their cruelty.

Some of the soldiers were biting into MREs, others tried to do some rudimentary maintenance on their gear. All of them were tired and it did not seem as if the pirates would relent at any point in the near future. Hanna sat on the gravelly floor, resting her helmeted head on a palm, eyes closed and trying to get her thoughts in order. Something needed to be done to change the situation. If they continued as they were now, the batarians would throw themselves at them until they were pounded dust on the skeleton of a building they were sheltering in.

Finally the Lieutenant leaned her head back against the wall and laughed hollowly, "Some rescue this turned out to be." Lee seemed to be the only one that heard her and smiled grimly, nodding his agreement.

But then he looked at her, his dark eyes piercing. "Yes, it may all have fallen apart. But I believe we shall still emerge as victors."

Hannah looked at Lee in query. Catching her eye, his smile turned from grim to confident. "Because you promised someone you'd be back."

Shepard's eyes grew distant. "Yes, I believe I did."

Pushing himself up, Lee moved away from the group; his grey armour soon making him indistinguishable from the buildings around them as the sun slowly began to complete its daily journey.

Fifteen minutes later Hannah stood up, a bit too quickly since she had to steady herself against the oncoming head-rush. Once the black blocks faded from her vision she looked around her, truly seeing the state her quad was in.

"Delta! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Some of the marines jumped at her sudden outburst.

"We're here to save our people damn it; instead we're getting out asses handed to us!"

She moved away from the position she had been standing at, not intending to give any batarian sniper a clear shot at her.

"Now they might have greater numbers, but we are _marines_!"

All of the soldiers were now looking at her, even the look outs were having a tough time to stay vigilant - her words were drawing them in.

"Lee was kind enough to remind me that I promised… _I gave my fucking word! _ To come home to my little girl."

The Lieutenant looked at the soldiers nearest to her, eyeing them as if measuring their worth.

"I _know_ some of you made similar promises. It might have been yesterday before leaving, last week when you boarded the _Einstein_ or a month ago when you joined this tour. Hell, maybe even years ago when you last saw your mom and she begged you to stay safe!"

She was now pacing on the small clear area she had found somewhat closer to the back of the building.

"So yes, the pirates have fucked up this world and its people and yes, it's sad! Yes they have killed our comrades and yes they have turned this town into a display only a psychopath could appreciate. Yes, our objective may be to save the damn people out there that are still alive, but guess what? _Fuck that!_ I don't care how many people need saving, if my Eri does not get back her mom, there'll be hell to pay! 'Cause nobody messes with my girl like that!"

Shepard stopped pacing and looked at those close to her again, "And I'll be damned if you don't feel the same way about the promises you made. Now there's no way in hell my kid wants a coward parent, so the only way we're getting off this bloody rock is _through_ those four-eyed bastards! Maybe, we'll even rescue some hostages on the way? 'Eh?!"

All those that were listening now, over the comm, or standing in front of the woman had mad grins plastered on their faces, fatigue seemingly evaporated.

"Now let's do this shit for our sake! Not some fracking stranger with a lot of shiny buttons." Saying this Hannah punched her arm into the air and all those who saw her did the same; over the comm one loud chorus could be heard: _"OORAH!"_

Hidden in the shadows, in a room of an apartment building several blocks, Lee's mouth curled into a wicked grin as the cheer echoed through the empty city. He detached the Mantis sniper rifle from its mag-lock on the back of his hardsuit and after it extended to its full length, pulled a silencer from one of the utility slots that lined his waist as a form of belt, carefully screwing it onto the end muzzle.

~o~

_AN: For those of you that picked up that Eris' age seemed to fluctuate in a really weird way – I changed wording on Chapter 2 slightly to fix that and added an explanation at the end. Nothing mind-blowing, just putting this here so you know that yes there was weird stuff and yes, it's been addressed._


	6. Ghost Towns and Broadsides

**Valkyrie's Song Chapter 6**

**GHOST TOWNS AND BROADSIDES**

**Valkyrie's Song is a **_**Mass Effect**_** Fanfiction by Stephan "Eisen" Wortmann. **_**Mass Effect**_** belongs to **_**Bioware**_**.**

It was eerie how empty the town had become. Hannah had thought it was only because of the lack of living survivors, or the gruesome displays. But it had been three hours since they had fought off that last wave of pirates, and since then it had seemed as if they were the only people still living in the colony.

"Overlord, this is Delta-One. We're continuing our advance into the city. No signs of any hostile activity."

"_Affirmative Delta. See if you can find out what they have planned; there's no such thing as an innocent silence. Overlord out."_

Hannah stopped scanning the buildings across the square and motioned to her squad. "Alright ladies, let's move. Stepesh, you go on ahead again with Marshall. Houghes, Ndlovu and Austin you'll be going around the east. Udresku, Zabaleta and I will go around the west, and where the hell is that Lee?!"

No one seemed to have noticed the grey-clad man's disappearance and he had disappeared entirely from the comm. "Shit, I don't have time for games of MIA-and-seek. Let's move!" She hated leaving someone behind, but the way things had been going Shepard just wanted to get off this ball.

"Stepesh, you're Team Raven. Houghes, you're Widow. Lieutenant and I will be Sword." The group scattered into the alleys, moving carefully so as not to attract any unwanted attention.

As the soldiers moved through the buildings the air itself seemed to become heavier and heavier. There didn't seem to be signs of survivors or oppressors anywhere. Every room having had its door kicked down and the occupants gone, the only traces of them having been there perhaps being small signs of struggle. But every so often Delta would stumble across rooms or streets where corpses had just been dumped or arrayed as the other gruesome displays.

"_Where the fuck are they?"_

"Cut the chatter and keep your eyes open," Hanna breathed out as she and Udresku exited yet another building, another ambush not materialising for the umpteenth time.

"_LT, we have eyes on target,"_ this time it was Stepesh, her voice sounding strained, _"but something's not right here."_

"What is it Corporal?"

"_Well, we found the pirates."_

There was a scuffle over the comm and then it cleared up again, _"Crap, almost saw us. LT it looks like they're about to leave, I saw some goons herding people into the nearest ship… but that's the thing. There's no way those hunks-a-junk could travel long distance carrying their crew - never mind with living cargo."_

Ice seemed to form in Hannah's belly. She pressed the comm switch on her helmet's ear-piece as if hoping that it could teleport her to the _Einstein. _"Overlord, do you read me? Overlord!"

"_Hold on Delta, we just picked up some signals coming from the other side of the moon."_

"Sir, it's the pirates! They used shuttles to land."

"_Alright, ground team, you'll be on your own for now. We'll deal with these."_

Hannah smashed her armoured fist into the wall beside her. If the pirates had been able to send shuttles big enough to make command believe that those had been their main ships then there was no way that the space battle would go smoothly.

"_LT, there's more here,"_ Stepesh said over the comm, drawing Hannah's attention to the present again, "_the batarians seem to be on the defensive; they're not travelling beyond a certain point and have a hellova lot of lookouts."_

"What?" Shepard looked at her companions as if they held the answer, both of them just shrugged. She tapped into the comm again to relay orders, "Y'all heard that. Something's got the four-eyes scared, but that puts the civvies in danger. Stay low and take up recon positions. See but don't be seen."

The two other teams squelched their acknowledgement and the squads each disappeared into the buildings surrounding the plaza in which the pirates had landed. Once more the marines were in their element, that of surprise.

~o~

Eris looked up as the warning light above the door started flashing. Outside in the corridor, she could hear as numerous sets of feet started running and the combat stations alert rang across the vessel. Once more, the detached emotionless voice of the VI made something, which would more often than not cost lives, sound boring. It had been a day since the troops had gone planet side – the alert then having eventually gotten called off since nothing noteworthy had happened in the planet's orbit.

Now the ship was getting ready again. Eris was lying on the floor in her family's quarters; she still wore the whole hardsuit that she had put on the previous day. The girl had promised herself that she would endure it like her mother did. Somewhere in her mind it seemed like a silly thing to do, but there was little else she could have done until they left orbit again. Were she to leave the quarters she would only get in the way.

Her mind was wondering back to what was happening ground side and among the other crew of the ship when the whole room shook, a distant peal of thunder rocking the space-borne vessel. Eris jumped from the bed. They were attacking!

She had been on numerous military vessels in her life and often gone through the motions that were required of her once battle-stations were called. But never had a ship she was on been attacked. Things had suddenly gotten very interesting.

So the youngest Shepard grabbed the helmet of the suit she was still wearing and jammed it on. Something in the back of her mind kept telling her she should be frightened, that she should try and find the safest corner of the room and hide. But the adrenalin that was now pumping through her veins was too much; she wanted to experience glorious battle.

The _Einstein_ shuddered again, twice, in quick succession. Eris moved to the terminal in corner again, her father had shown her some tricks in between shifts. There were benefits to being the Chief Engineer's daughter.

Quickly she worked her way through the ship's security, using her things she had picked up while moving aboard the ship; administrator access on a military network? Easy - so long as one had helped the one who had put all of the security systems in place to do it in the first place.

She brought forward a display of what the ship's sensors were picking up outside. Three batarian frigates, one already critically damaged.

~o~


	7. Newton's Third Law

**Valkyrie's Song Chapter 7**

**NEWTON'S THIRD LAW**

**Valkyrie's Song is a **_**Mass Effect**_** Fanfiction by Stephan "Eisen" Wortmann. **_**Mass Effect**_** belongs to **_**Bioware**_**.**

Hannah looked through the scope of her rifle, surveying the area below. "Dammit," she cursed quietly. She switched back to the comm. "This is Sword, looks like a rescue is no-go. We'll need to get onto the ships to get the prisoners off and there's no way in hell we're gonna manage that as things are now."

She lowered the rifle and slid back under cover. "Well that only leaves one option: Raven, you go in there quiet; see if you can disable the ships before they take off. You got fifteen then we head in regardless. That mess above might end up causing these down here to try and make a run for it."

~o~

The _Einstein_ shuddered again as high-velocity projectiles impacted against its kinetic barriers. Eris was still at the console in her family's room, monitoring the battle through the limited display that was available to her there.

The carrier was holding its own against the three enemy ships, but was hard-pressed. One of the attackers was a frigate, far larger than any normal pirate vessel out there – most likely where some of the landing craft docked. The other two were far smaller cruisers, but were of a strange construction; as if a segment of them had been detached before they entered battle.

The cannons on the_ Einstein's_ broadsides were constantly firing, but it had difficulty bringing its main gun to bear as the pirates weaved out of the line of fire as soon as it aligned itself. They also could not release shots recklessly as misses might hit the planet below.

Then something unexpected happened. The captain of the _Einstein_ feigned tracking the undamaged enemy cruiser when it suddenly deviated and targeted the frigate, releasing the hyper-accelerated round before the pirate could recover.

Eris wondered what it must be like to be aboard the ship when a missile of that mass hit it. All that she was shown was a red status indicator on the display, aboard the ship itself there must now be fires, screams, blood death and vacuum.

The frigate was indeed now limping to stay out of a second volley, when the _Einstein_ shuddered far harder than it had before. The display glared red, warning lights and claxons started going off in the halls outside.

Eris looked through the display to see what had happened, where did the other cruiser go? She screened through the status logs of what had happened to the _Einstein_ and stepped back from the console with a gasp as one glaring red word stuck out from the rest: Engineering – breached. _No,_ _Dad!_

~o~

"_Sword, this is Raven, there's been a slight hiccup in our plans."_

"What is it Raven?"

"_Looks like the shuttles have already been sabotaged by someone, rigged up to some IEDs too. So either out four-eyed friends planned on leaving in a blaze of glory…"_

"Or someone beat us to the punch." Shepard scanned the field below; nothing of note had changed in the past five minutes. "Get your arses outta there, Raven. If this shit could get any more complicated, it just did."

"_Roger *kshhhhhh*"_

Hannah watched in horrid fascination as the first shuttle exploded, then the second and all the others in short succession.

"Crap!" she barked out the expletive as if hoping that it would undo what had just happened. "Raven! Can you read me?! Raven!" She shook off the apologetic hand that one of the men in her squad tried to place on her shoulder. Hidden beneath her helmet's visor tears were running down her cheeks in frustration. So many damn lives lost and for what? Nothing made sense any more.

The batarian raiders that had been fortunate enough not to be near the transports when they exploded, were shouting at one another and running around in a confused panic. That was when she noticed it. Through her blind rage and sorrow Hannah saw that ever so subtly as soon as a pirate would get separated from the rest he would collapse to the ground, brains oozing from a sizable hole in his head.

She looked around at the buildings surrounding the now smoking area and settled on one which she would use if she were a sniper. Motioning to her squad, she carefully started picking her way through the town around the death-trap towards it.

~o~

Breathe in, hold, aim, release, pull. He steadily repeated the words to himself in his mind, over and over. Every time he finished the list another pirate would drop. Breathe in, hold, aim, release, pull. His mission had been clear: infiltrate the patrol that would inevitably respond to the batarian attack – one that had been engineered to happen where it did in the first place. Once ground-side, ensure that all the evidence be destroyed and all witnesses taken care of – basic wetwork. Breathe in, hold, aim…

Lee released his breath prematurely as he felt the tell-tale weight of a barrel press against his helmet.

"Put down the weapon and turn around slowly," the all too familiar voice of Lieutenant Hannah Shepard said from behind him, "Keep your hands where I can see them."

She motioned to Udresku to restrain him while Zabaleta kicked the rifle away. The other Lieutenant detached his pistol and handed it to the leader of Delta-squad, who after a cursory inspection of the firearm, attached it to her hip next to her own. Smart girl – she hadn't used the comm to relay her plans to Team Widow, that way he would have picked up on her plans.

"Now, I can overlook the disappearing into thin air and potting of slavers, but blowing up your own team mates? Lee, what the fuck is going on here?"

He was wearing his helmet with his visor up so his mouth was hidden, but Hannah could see that arrogant grin twinkling in his eyes. "Just following orders, Sir."

"Whose?"

"Now answering that would defeat the purpose of all I did here today, which makes it obvious that there is still one loose end." With that, he twisted out of Udresku's grasp, elbowing him in the face in the process. Shepard cried out and reached to catch him, but it was too late.

They looked out of the window, from which he had flung himself out, at the shattered body below. "Fucking blackops," Hannah muttered to no-one in particular as she headed towards the stairs. "Hawk, this is Delta, do you read?"

"_We read you Delta. Seeing some spectacular fireworks from here. Are you all right?"_

"Too many bodies short, not sure what to call the outcome of this mission, requesting extraction… The fleet can sort this one out."

"_Alright Delta, we're on our way."_

~o~

_AN: Had to use a crowbar to pry this out of my head. Somehow the mission started off so well then *bam* nothing that linked together wanted to form itself any more._


	8. It Pours

**Valkyrie's Song Chapter 8**

**IT POURS**

**Valkyrie's Song is a **_**Mass Effect**_** Fanfiction by Stephan "Eisen" Wortmann. **_**Mass Effect**_** belongs to **_**Bioware**_**.**

Hannah dumped her helmet on top of her locker in the small change-room of the _Einstein_ that branched off from the cargo-bay's armoury. The trip back had been a blur, the exhaustion of the past two days finally kicking in. She stripped the rest of her armour and shoving it into the locker, forcing the door closed behind it, and claimed one of the shower faucets.

After having cleaned herself and pushing her wet hair behind her ears – too tired to properly comb it – dressed herself in her casuals and headed for the lift that would take her to the family cabin. The few crew members that she encountered gave her sympathetic looks; she figured they had heard about how south the mission had gone by now – damn scuttlebutt. But now she just wanted to relax again, with her family.

She keyed the release on the haptic door display to their chambers. The sight that met her eyes was one that would haunt her for years to come: lying in the middle of the room, curled up on the floor was Eris, dressed only in a tank-top and shorts. She seemed smaller than humanely possibly for her height, with her legs drawn in and arms curled about them.

Sobs wracked the small form; even from her position at the door Hannah could see the shudders. Tiredness forgotten she rushed over to the girl, nothing else seemed important at that point but her daughter. She lay down next to Eris and took her in her arms, "Shh sweety, what is it?"

Recognising the familiar presence Eris hugged her tight, still shaking, burying her face in her shoulder. They remained like that for a while, a mother simply consoling her daughter. Eventually Eris looked up at her, emerald eyes bloodshot and her face puffy with her hair dishevelled.

She gripped Hannah's arms tightly, searching her mother's face, "Mom, _he's gone_."

At first the older Shepard did not seem to understand what her daughter was saying, but then slowly as realisation dawned her features went slack. She looked over to the console in the corner of the room. Shakily, she detached herself from her grieving daughter and stumbled towards the amber display as though in a trance. There the status display still glared and angry red: Engineering – Breached.

Hannah collapsed onto the stool there; all strength seemingly having deserted her, her entire essence seemed to have dissipated. Her body felt like a hollow shell with an endless void at its core. A single tear ran down the hardened marine's face.

"We always made you promise… to come back…" Eris said quietly, taking a deep breath between phrases. She had also found a tissue and was cleaning her nose. "Never even though that dad would be the one to not come back… he still promised to paint the model with me."

The words seemed to wash over Hannah. A part of her could not believe it, a part of her still expected John to walk through the door, that insufferable lovable knowing grin stuck on his face.

She finally managed to lift herself again, but only to join her daughter on the floor. There, wrapped in each other's arms they mourned the man that had meant the most to them.

~o~

"Sir," the soldier addressed David Anderson with a salute, "Just went to break the news to the Shepards. Seems they already knew – girl somehow hacked into the maintenance systems."

"Ah, I suppose it's for the best. No good way to get that kind of news," the seasoned soldier replied, "How are they holding up?"

"Dealing about as well as one could expect, sir."

"I should probably go myself. John was a good friend."

"Sir, I just thought you might need to know," the soldier interrupted.

"What is it?"

"The young one – Eris, she's showing signs of biotics. The whole room is a mess – probably from an initial flare after realising the news and it looked like she was surrounded by a corona the whole time I was there. I don't think the Lieutenant has even noticed it yet though."

"Damn it, this is _not_ a good time for something like this to come out. The family is going through enough… Alright, thank you for the info Private; I'll see if I can address it when I talk to them now. Dismissed."

The nameless soldier saluted and left, leaving a very troubled Anderson to his thoughts.

~o~


	9. One Step at a Time

**Valkyrie's Song Chapter 9**

**ONE STEP AT A TIME**

**Valkyrie's Song is a **_**Mass Effect**_** Fanfiction by Stephan "Eisen" Wortmann. **_**Mass Effect**_** belongs to **_**Bioware**_**.**

She moved as the instructor directed them to, shifting from form to form as they were called out. All twelve students did as commanded in unison, their movements duplicated a hundred times over in the mirrors that were just outside the thick glass walls that was the practice chamber. An ordinary onlooker might have thought it to be a very expensive set-up for a dance class, but there were no ordinary onlookers here. The only people that positioned themselves outside the bubble to observe, were high-ranking military officials and scientists scribbling down notes on their datapads, or even perhaps the occasional parent come to observe their child.

The intention of the room was the same as that with a dance-practice one: that the ones training would see what they looked like doing what they did and not only feel it – so the motions could be internalised and allow them to become second nature. The chamber's peculiar construction also had the intention of limiting required maintenance on the facilities should something go awry, as it often did due to the unpredictability of both adolescents and biotics.

She was coated in sweat by the time the instructor called a break. Practicing mnemonic stances was a strange fusion of dancing as well as martial arts and proved to be an efficient workout. The group broke ranks, filing out the door most of them laughing and joking amongst one another. Eris was not one of them.

It had been almost a year since the events at Mindoir and aboard the _Einstein_. There had been counselling, of course. It came standard after any close-relation death within the alliance if one served. Her mother had been promoted for her 'exemplary performance under extreme conditions', but had immediately taken leave after that to address her daughter's new found_ issues_.

Issues, unique circumstances, special developments, mutation. The list of terms for how people addressed Eris' newfound abilities was getting extensive, and it grated on both Shepards that the whole thing was such a taboo to discuss. At least here she had the opportunity to mingle with those who fell under the same stigma. The Alliance-run _Ascention_ project was an initiative that got launched after the Conatix-run _Biotic Acclimation and Training_ went belly-up. According to the few sketchy reports that Hannah had gotten hold of, there had been cases of teachers brutalising their charges and even a case of a student finally killing one of them.

Eris did not much care. She threw herself at the new challenges with abandon, trying to lose herself in the work. The whole biotic training was integrated with a schooling system, and there were plans to implement it into a new academy that was being set-up after the prototyping phase had been completed. It seemed that finally there was extensive work being put into safely developing this area of human expansion.

The sound that indicated the end of the session played over the intercom and all the students ceased their mnemonic forms and began filing out of the enclosed chamber. Chatting and laughing, they made their way to the lockers that were set up outside the room for them to store their personal effects while practicing. Eris was the only one that seemed not to be interested in banter as the teenagers teased each other about their performance or discussed the latest gossip. She moved to her locker in silence, punched in the combination and used the towel she had stored inside to wipe the sweat from her face. Throwing it over her shoulder she took out the lone datapad that had also been placed inside.

"Dayum Shepard, I still don't get how you pull it off," a boy's voice said from behind her.

"Hmm?"

"Of all everyone here, your locker is nearly always empty. A towel and a datapad, that's all?"

"What is it, Vern? Sad that I don't meet the typical girl stereotype?"

"Hell, you even beat the guys! Never mind the chicks," the one identified as Vern stated incredulously as he pointed at his own locker's state, which in addition to a datapad had several other assorted items piled up inside.

Eris grinned at him. "Hey man, where's your towel?! You'd make a terrible hitch-hiker."

"Hah, sorry to break it to you, but I think you're the only one who's _that_ old-school."

"Never dis the classics, bro," she fired back playfully punching him on the shoulder.

"You still haven't told me your secret to the empty locker though."

"Spacer kid, remember? I probably have about a shoebox worth of possessions as it is," Eris answered, pointing at herself with her thumb. "Besides," she continued as she flicked the haptic amber display on her left arm to life, "Omnitool for the win."

"Shit, you got an omnitool?!" he exclaimed, "My parents said they'd only get me one if I manage to get into college."

"Yeah well, perks of military life I suppose. Standard issue if you're old enough." She didn't mention that she spent most of her free time tinkering and modifying the tool, or that it had originally been a present from her father for her fourteenth birthday.

"Oh yeah, your folks were both with the Alliance." Fortunately everyone in the class had known each other long enough to know where to draw the line and the conversation didn't wander deeper into anything uncomfortable.

The group made their way to their next class, seemingly blending in with all the other pupils, yet still sticking together enough so as for it to be apparent that they were socially isolated from them. Eris had decided to use this opportunity between sessions to go to the bathroom and was now rushing to ensure that she would not be late for their lesson. Dodging and weaving between other learners, she deftly made her way through the corridors when she heard a raised voice ahead.

"Get off me, _Freak_!"

The young Shepard pushed through the wall of people that had begun to form to see what had happened. Once she got to the edge of the crowd, she saw two boys in the middle of the circle that had formed around them. One was a larger boy she recognised from one year ahead of their group – he already had a slight stubble, the other was Thomas, a scrawny boy in their class that always seemed to be lagging behind in everything.

Thomas was lying on the floor of the passage, with the older boy looming over him. "They should take you and all your friends to some other place where you can't hurt anyone who's _normal_," he was saying as Eris arrived.

"Hey, leave him alone!" she stated loudly moving to stand between them.

"Oh look, it's another _freak_. At least this one is worth looking at," he stated leering at her, eyes taunting, "Still, you'd probably belong with those blue aliens, bunch of space whores – my dad says they sleep their way to all the good jobs."

"At least I don't have the IQ of a vorcha," Eris spat in response.

"Take that back _freak_!"

"Only if you back off and apologise to Thomas."

"Fuck that," he stated gruffly, making to push Eris back. The spacer was expecting it though, and leaned out of the way, grabbing the boy's arm and pulling him, using his momentum to cause him to stumble over Thomas and also land on the floor. Eris then helped her classmate up, who hurriedly thanked her and rushed to their classroom.

She was about to follow him when she was painfully pulled back by her hair. Tears sprang to her eyes as she turned to face her aggressor. It was the boy again.

"You should know when you're beaten," she hissed between her teeth, the effect somewhat spoilt by the water running from her eyes.

"Or what, you gonna freak out on me?"

"I don't need to use biotics to clean your nose with the floor."

"Tough talk, for a gi…" he was interrupted by Eris' fist solidly impacting with his nose, the there was a collective 'oooh' by the crowd at the audible crunch of its breaking.

"Why you!" He spluttered, trying to stop the sudden torrent of blood with one hand. He charged forward as if to tackle Eris to the ground. She was not about to let that happen though. As before, she deftly stepped aside, this time sticking out a foot as he passed, tripping him once more.

"See?" she stated smugly, crossing her arms over her chest. The gathered learners broke into a cheer, but it was quickly silenced as the crowd parted behind them and one of the instructors appeared.

"Shepard, Jefferson – Director's office, now. And get that nose seen to at the med-bay before you go there, Jefferson."

Eris couldn't help but feel a small sense of satisfaction even over the suddenly overwhelming sinking feeling in her gut as she was escorted to the director's office by the instructor.

~o~


	10. Uncle Hackett wants YOU!

**Valkyrie's Song Chapter 10**

**UNCLE HACKETT WANTS YOU!**

**Valkyrie's Song is a **_**Mass Effect**_** Fanfiction by Stephan "Eisen" Wortmann. **_**Mass Effect**_** belongs to **_**Bioware**_**.**

"Shepard! Oi, Shep!"

Eris looked back through the crowded corridors to see who was calling her name. Pushing through the tightly packed groups of gossiping and bragging students, Thomas finally managed to reach the red-head spacer.

"Hey Tom. 'Sup?"

The thin boy fell in step beside her as they made their way to their registration classrooms - in the case of the biotic students, one that they all shared.

"Nothing much, just wanted to ask you how your career advisement went."

"Oh come on, everyone and their krogan girlfriend knows that I don't need that crap."

The dark-haired boy looked at her, eyes wide. "So you'll just go like that, without even considering the other options?"

Eris smiled sadly. "There never were any other options for me to begin with."

"Aw, don't be like that. You've gotten top marks in like… everything, ever since you showed up."

"Hah!" Eris exclaimed, "Everything except stuff a real girl should get top marks in." She started counting things off on her fingers. "_Dresses_, make-up, shopping, gossip, being pretty by media standards,"she paused for a moment, "Oh and let's not forget _boyfriends_! No offence." She nudged him as they walked.

"Hah, no, it's all right," he said, laughing, "As long as you keep kicking ass I'm okay with however you wish to classify this following puppy act."

"See!" she said pointing at him, "What girl goes around kicking ass? In… well everything that remotely resembles anything where you get to hit things." She started counting off on her fingers again, "The biotic classes, and the martial arts sessions. Let's not forget that sharpshooting we had during the campout on Earth last year."

"Okay, okay," he relented, "Fully qualified Systems Alliance marine, right here."

This time she punched him on the arm.

"Hey, ow!"

"I'm serious, you buffoon."

"I know, I know - just trying to have fun at the expense of the great Miz Eris Shepard before she becomes saviour of the universe and all that. Ow! You know that _hurts!_"

"Yeah well that's the point."

~o~

"The _hell_ do you think you're doing, Shepard?!" the drill sergeant's voice rang out across the courtyard.

"Completing the course, sir!"

"I said _together!_ The marines ain't no place for lone wolves private. Now get back there and run this course as if you _mean_ it!"

The grim man smiled inwardly as he watched the young woman hurry to the start of the course with the aim of catching up again with the others. This one had spirit.

~o~

"Anders, go cover us from that bunch of tires." Eris said in a low voice, motioning towards the rubber barrier, the protective mask muffling her voice somewhat.

"McTavish, you head over to that copse, see if you can see any of the other teams. Let us know if there's something by doing the whistle."

"Squeaks, you make sure they're not flanking us. I'll take point."

The small group scattered to their assigned posts. "Shit, Shepard. I see why everyone always wants to be on your team," the remaining squad member muttered. "You run us harder than Sergeant Hardass."

She flashed the speaker a look, eyes twinkling behind the visor, no doubt grinning that wicked grin of hers. The silence was broken by a piercing birdcall; Eris put her arm up, motioning that they stop. "That was Macky. We got one of the other teams coming in."

The red-head scanned their surroundings. "Alright, Squeaks you take cover behind those bushes there. Joe, you get behind those trees there. Remember the signal guys – as soon as it's given take 'em out.

The group scattered, disappearing into the undergrowth. Mere moments after their disappearance, another group of young adults appeared, carefully stalking through where Eris and her team had been. They were attired in the same fashion as Shepard and her group were, with one difference being the brightly coloured stripe running down their arms – these were blue opposed to Eris' red.

"_LEEEEEEEROOOYYY!"_

Eris shouted the war-cry as she burst from her hiding place, firing her marker wildly as she ran across the other group's intended path. Startled, the blue team turned as one to retaliate against the lone aggressor, when the tapping releasing of gas of hidden markers sounded from all around them.

Realising defeat the other group placed their hands in the air. The red team emerged from their hiding places to savour their victory, Eris returning as well from where she had run off to – still wearing the grin, but now with her mask off it was displayed for all to see.

"Red team for life!" she crowed as she drew near to the others again.

"Hah, with the amount of blue splatter you're covered in, that statement doesn't mean much. Either because you're now blue- literally, or dead – figuratively," the one called McTavish said, chuckling.

"You wound me Macky."

"No, that would be the blue team's fault."

"Laugh it up, smartass."

The leader of the blue team had also removed his mask. He was scowling. "Next time, Shepard."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Leng."

The two parties merged, removing masks and laughing, retelling their favourite parts of this past round. Arms gestured wildly, imitating and reinacting events and voices were raised in laughter and exuberant exclamations. Eventually one of the young men shouted up over the others, "The best shore-leave ever!"

The others joined the cheer until a girl from blue team spoke up over their voices, "That mean you get laid yet, Squeaks?"

The man just grinned, taking the jest in stride, "You offering?"

There were a few catcalls and whistles as the good-natured teasing continued while the group made its way back to the dressing rooms so they could get out of the paintballing gear.

~o~

The _SSV Everest_'s imposing mass hung in orbit over the colony. In the conference room adjoined to the bridge, three figures came together around the glass-surfaced table. They all wore the dress-blue uniform of the Systems Alliance – humanity's official government and military.

Gold embroidery trimmed the high-quality clothing with decorations adorning the shoulders and chests of each of those assembled in the almost clinically clean room. The men wearing these uniforms each wore expressions stern enough to match their attire.

The first two saluted the third, the gesture as natural to them as breathing after all these years of service.

"Captain, Rear-Admiral," the third said, saluting in return.

"Admiral," the other two greeted.

Formalities dealt with the three moved to take seats at the table. Admiral Hackett, Captain Anderson and Rear-Admiral Kahoku each sat down, each a legend in their own right.

"Well let's get to it," Hackett started as he picked up a datapad that had been lying on the table near his seat. "Take a look at these scores. We already have potential N program candidates with this newest batch."

"That we do," David Anderson said as he read through the list.

Kahoku didn't say anything as his eyes roved over the candidates. He, like the others in the room, was intimately familiar with the Special Forces initiative and while it was an honour to be singled out for it, it was still a brutal process to go through.

"Have them watched throughout their first tour. If any of them are material we're looking for, I want to know."

A thoughtful look crossed Anderson's face. "Hang on, I recognise this name. That's John and Hannah's kid."

"Shepard? Says here she has biotic potential," Kahoku commented.

"Yeah, first showed the day John died."

"I take it you're familiar with the family, Captain?" Hackett asked.

"Yes, they served under me on the _Einstein_. The kid was aboard during Mindoir – when the father died."

"Anything we can work with there?"

Anderson nodded, "She's driven like no-one I've ever seen and biotics aside, is magic with that omnitool."

"Very well, I want her progress forwarded to me personally," Hackett stated.

"You sure, sir?" Kahoku asked. "It's unheard of to take interest in anyone in particular."

"Well then it can stay that way, but I want those reports. Anderson isn't generous with praise."

~o~


	11. Terms of Service

**Valkyrie's Song Chapter 11**

**TERMS OF SERVICE**

**Valkyrie's Song is a **_**Mass Effect**_** Fanfiction by Stephan "Eisen" Wortmann. **_**Mass Effect**_** belongs to **_**Bioware**_**.**

"Mahal, get your arse down – we got Havoc incoming!" Anderson shouted as he himself dived.

The younger marine followed his commanding officer's example, crouching low behind a prefabricated wall. The remaining squad member took shelter by pressing her back against a tree.

The world took a breath as the gunship decelerated above the marines, optimizing its firing solution. The breath was released as cannons roared, the force of the projectiles causing the VTOL craft to drift sideways as they left the chambers of the large guns.

The hyper-accelerated rounds chewed into the enemy position, shredding bodies, cover and churning up the ground – sending great chunks of soil and dust into the air. As if to punctuate the hosing of death, two missiles were fired in quick succession, one twisting a massive hole into a prefabricated shelter, the other blowing a crater into the already chewed up soil.

"_Range looks clear Whisky. We'll circle around once more to see if we can spot any more bogeys."_

"Thanks Havoc, we'll take it from here," Anderson responded. He nodded at Mahal, who had been watching him for further instructions. "Move up. Keep an eye out for movement."

Eris stepped out from where she had been sheltering behind the tree and swore silently when she saw how a twisted plate of large shrapnel had embedded itself halfway through the trunk. Hefting her Avenger rifle, she quickly followed after the other two, warily checking down the sights for any surviving foes.

Armoured boots made no noise as they stepped through the now-soft earth; the marines moved slowly – warily checking all angles for movement and taking care not to trip over sprawled and shredded corpses. As effective as vehicle support was, it was just as gruesome. Shepard's eyes lingered on one poor soul that had not immediately died from the barrage. He was still breathing rasping breaths despite half his gut and both legs missing. She forced herself to look away – fighting back bile, there was no need to give the nightmares more cause to haunt her.

There was a constant thumping noise coming from ahead, a mechanical sound of hydraulics hissing and two metal surfaces impacting. Eris could tell that from the sound of it, it was most likely a door whose safety systems had been damaged and was repeatedly trying to close itself. Her assumption proved to be correct; it was the entrance to a prefab building smashing against a metal beam that had been punched through the entrance by an explosion.

Anderson motioned her forward and the Shepard pushed the Avenger to her side – hanging by the strap her mother had gotten her. Pointedly ignoring the impaled body on the other side of the entrance, she used her omnitool to hack the damaged haptic interface that flickered before the noisome barrier.

The door opened fully and the three marines stepped into the complex they had been tasked with clearing.

~o~

The hall was empty, save for a few holographic panels on the walls that flickered sporadically. Anderson lead the trio as they advanced, carefully checking each doorway they passed, encountering only empty administration rooms. Eventually they reached a door that blocked off any further progress through the main passageway, the haptic display glaring an angry red indicating its locked status.

Anderson detached one of the compact containers that each of them had clipped to their hardsuits, slotting it into the port near his omnitool. He removed a panel from the wall and observed the circuitry beneath. Finally, he tapped several commands into the amber device that hovered around his arm and reached out towards the panel. Omnigel sprayed into the panel and the circuitry sparked as the molten alloys wreaked havoc within the security mechanisms.

The door's panel turned green as Shepard and Mahal both quickly took up breaching positions on either side, looking at Anderson and waiting for his signal. The older soldier primed a flashbang grenade and looked towards the doorway; he nodded at Shepard, who reached out, tapping the panel for the door to open. Hydraulics hissed as the metal barrier retracted into the walls, Anderson flung in the grenade as soon as the door opened, turning his head just in time to miss the blinding flash.

The Captain charged in first, sweeping the room to see if he could spot any hostiles. He was not disappointed; several meters from the door a barrier of storage crates had been erected. Behind it, a man was reeling from the flashbang. Noting the man's armour to be marked with the same colours as the ones outside had been, he lined up the sights of his rifle and fired a tightly grouped burst at the helmeted head. Kinetic barriers flared before they were overwhelmed. The helmet caved in as high-velocity rounds smashed into it.

By now his fellow squad-mates had rushed in after him, checking his blind spots. Mahal fired his shotgun into the face of an unfortunate enemy before turning to confront the next, buckshot tearing through armour and shield as if they were made of paper.

Shepard used the customised palm-interface of her omnitool to charge and release an overload on her target, his shields winking out as their emitters were frazzled by the powerful current. As Anderson had, she grouped a burst into her target's helmet. With no barriers to protect the unfortunate soul, the mass-effect accelerated rounds turned his head into a pulpy mess.

"Upstairs, on the balcony!" Anderson called, diving towards the makeshift barricade before the new arrivals could exploit the marines' exposed position. Mahal pressed himself against a nearby roof-support; Shepard followed her CO's example and scrambled behind a nearby crate.

Not a moment too soon. Whatever weapons the hostiles on the balcony had brought to bear, it roared to life, chugging out bullets so fast that the room seemed to shake at the sound. Shepard breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the projectiles ricochet off her cover though. While it might have a high rate of fire, this weapon, while hell for shields and barriers, would have difficulty penetrating armour and thicker objects.

Still sprawled on the floor behind the crate she started tapping on her omnitool again. A few seconds later she shouted over her shoulder, "Distract them for a sec. I have an idea."

"All right Shepard… I hope this is better than the last idea you had," Anderson acknowledged, nodding, a gesture that went completely unnoticed in the current situation. "Mahal, you and me will pop out and give Shepard a second to do whatever it is she's planning."

"Roger that, sir!"

They broke cover simultaneously, firing blindly at their opposition. Shepard crouched behind her crate and straightened up just enough to reach over the edge. She pointed at the enemies, "Get'im Sparkspawn!"

A holographic drone materialised behind the men that were shooting at Anderson's squad. As soon as it fully formed, a steam of electricity shot from the eye-like opening at its centre, leaping between all those on the balcony. The men staggered back as their kinetic barriers were fried. As one they turned to address this new threat, firing point blank into the drone. It flickered then winked out of existence. They were about to turn back to Anderson's squad when the space the drone had occupied exploded, sending them flying over the railing.

The three Alliance marines spared no time rushing forward to make sure that the hostiles had been dealt with.

"Neat trick you got there Shepard," Anderson complimented, "Do you always have tricks up your sleeve?"

Eris grinned. "You know it, sir."

Mahal looked up at her from where he was examining one of the corpses they had just made. "But… Sparkspawn? Seriously?" his accented voice sounding strange over his helmet's external speakers.

"Yep! You can't deny that it is an apt description… plus: alliteration for the win," Shepard responded, characteristic grin still plastered across her face. The only hint of it that the others could see were her eyes, sparkling behind the visor of her helmet.

"Okay you two, cut the chatter. We still have a mission to complete," Anderson cut in, but he was smiling as well. Shepard had that effect on people.

"Just us three against a Tortuga's load of pirates. What could possibly go wrong?"

~o~

Admiral Hackett looked over the most recent reports forwarded to him by David Anderson. He nodded to himself as he processed the information. Finally he tapped a button on the terminal that he used to store his personal data on. A woman's face appeared on the holographic display, _"Admiral?"_ she greeted.

"Specialist," he nodded in acknowledgement.

"_I assume there is more to this call than merely exchanging pleasantries,"_ the woman teased.

The Admiral looked at the display, his face stony, "Yes Specialist, I would like to have you forward a N7 commendation to one Corporal Eris Shepard."

"_Very well sir, I'll have it to her by the hour."_

~o~

_AN: I was intrigued by what the recording by Anderson said about Shepard in the Citadel DLC. It made it sound like they had known each other for a good time longer than just that maiden voyage on the Normandy._


End file.
